-----
Information Added: Monday, January 24, 2000 - 6:51 PM
-----

A truck jackknifed on a stretch of Interstate 20 north of Kansas City, triggering a 24-vehicle pileup that claimed 10 lives. The highway had been blanketed by an unexpected covering of snow and ice.

Dozens of cars and two trucks slammed into the overturned tractor-trailer, injuring another 42 people, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In all, 19 cars and five trucks were involved in the accident.

One of the tractor-trailers, wedged between two other trucks and several cars, caught fire upon impact. It took over an hour to contain the blaze, which was fueled by hydrochloric acid leaking from one of the trucks.

Nine of the victims were burned beyond recognition, police said.

The southbound lanes of I-29 were still closed 12 hours after the accident.